Reflect, Renew, Rejoice

   As I tuck 2012 into my memory and prepare for 2013, I can't help but be grateful for all of the beautiful (and sometimes difficult) ways God has stretched and grown me this past year. Some of the lessons I've learned have been sweet and some have been heart-breaking, but as I reflect on them all, I can see His love reaching out to the depths of my soul...and I rejoice...for He is making all things new. 

    Here are just a few of the things He has laid on my heart this past year. 

    I have learned...

    Some of God's sweetest "love notes" are not in the big things, but in the details He clearly orchastrates. 

   God's timing and provision are fully trustworthy and perfect, even if it was not what we had planned. 

    I need to be intentional in praying through decisions, because only God knows the future.

   When I overcommit, overbook, or overdo it only makes me less connected to Him and less loving to others. 

   A heart of legallism can be disguised and repackaged, but it will still eventually permeate and destroy the very thing or people it is trying to control. Only a heart of love brings life. 

   When I draw my fulfillment from my relationship with Christ and my complete dependance on the Holy Spirit's leading, I am free to simply love others-not worry about having them meet my expectations or whether I meet theirs. 

    It is not important to define myself by a job, title, or church affiliation, but only by how I follow Jesus and love others.

  Thank you for letting me share these with you! My prayer is that you may glean from them and perhaps share some of the things God has revealed to you this year. May our hearts be always open and rejoicing in His amazing wisdom, goodness, and most of all, love. 

                                             Happy New Year!

Did You Fall For That Trick Again?

                                             

Today’s headlines carried another sad story of a high-ranking, well-educated and established leader in our country falling to the deception of sexual sin; tearing his family apart and destroying his career.

Solomon once said, “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun” The same things that tempted people 1000's of years ago, are still tempting you and me today. So why do we still fall for the same old tricks and how can we guard against the Enemy’s schemes? 

1. “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall”(Prov. 16:18). When we think highly of ourselves, we are most likely thinking less of God. The remedy for a prideful spirit is humility and the result of humility...wisdom (Prov. 11:2).  Humility comes from focusing on Who God is, His amazing all-knowing, all-powerful Presence.  He has authority over all of creation, He breathes life into every being, He is everywhere all at once...pretty sure none of us can make any of those claims! 
2. “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it” (Proverbs 4:23) Remember the little childrens’ song, “Be careful little eyes what you see, be careful little ears what you hear...”? We often rationalize those first few steps down the slippery slope of sin. We are not careful about the doors we open. We think, “just one look” or “a simple lunch with a friend” or a “facebook message to an old boyfriend or girlfriend” is harmless. But the door is left cracked and our heart has become vulnerable. The first step toward destruction has taken place and before we know it, we have fallen prey to the same old tricks that the enemy has used to destroy lives and marriages for years. 
3. How do we “guard our hearts?” Scripture is your sword! When Satan tempted Jesus, Our Savior fought with the strongest weapon. He used the Truth of God’s Word to combat the lies. You and I need to follow Christ’s example. The more we are in the Word, the more it will be in our hearts and a part of who we are. So, when(not if), temptation comes, we will be prepared for the battle!

   What do we do if our heart has been entangled with sin and deception? The great news is that there is no sin too big for God’s grace to cover it! All you have to do is to confess(admit what you have done to God), repent(tell God you are really sorry), and turn around. Even if you have taken 100 steps away from God, when you turn around, He will be 99 right behind you. We all fall short of the glory of God...but that is the whole purpose of the Cross. Without it, we were lost, with no hope of relationship with God, no hope for righteousness and no hope for eternity. And yet...while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). We have hope because of the work of the Cross!

Let’s stop falling for these old, lame tricks. Let’s humble ourselves before our Creator, no longer walking in pride and haughtiness. Let us be wise in our humility, guarding our hearts from evil, so that we can live with the freedom, purpose and joy He intended for us to have! 

Can You Find Your Keys?

        

                                         

    I have a big, black purse that seems to swallow up everything that goes into it. My family calls it "the black hole." One of the most difficult things to find in it are my keys. There have been many times I have had to dump everything out and sort through all the junk in order to find them. It is always a desperate search because without my keys, I can't get anywhere. 
     Some of the keys to life have been just as hidden and hard to find. I've had to dump everything out and sift through the mess to find them. The search is always worth the effort, though. 
    Today, I'll share the first key. This is the key to real, lasting and true freedom...and who doesn't want that door unlocked? 
    How many of us consider ourselves free, but are being bound by the invisible yoke of slavery? It all depends on where you are looking for freedom. Here are some questions to determine where you might be looking and what chains may have you bound:

     1) Is your self-worth tied to what others say about you?
     2) Are you living with hurt, bitterness and unforgiveness in your heart?
     3) Do you make decisions based on your feelings?
     4) Does your performance/accomplishment make you feel valuable and good about yourself?
     
    These are just a few of the things that can entangle us. If you aren't sure whether you may be enslaved to any of these or something else, pray and ask God to open your eyes to the hidden places of bondage in your heart and mind. If you still aren't certain, you can ask your spouse or a close friend to be honest with you...they'll let you know. Be prepared, it is hard to have our weaknesses exposed, but it is the first step in the key to freedom.
    There is a key to a glorious life that is not controlled by any of these things. It is the secret that I have had to learn. It is a key that we have all been given...we only have to choose whether we will use it or not. The secret is this: The more you know and are surrendered to God, the more freedom you will experience. I used to think it was the opposite...that I would be stifled, held down by rules and not able to have any fun if I surrendered everything. That is perhaps the biggest lie that keeps us from using our most important key...pursuing a deep, intimate relationship with the One who willingly paid the highest price for our freedom. 
    It is in the pursuit of knowing Him and how He sees you...beautiful, unique, His beloved...that you will find the freedom you have been looking for. It rarely happens overnight, but if you start today; praying, reading and studying His Word, listening to His quiet whispers to your heart...you will be one step closer than you have been. 
    We all have things from which we need to be set free. God so loves us that He sent His only Son to die for us to have real freedom from hurt, bitterness, unforgiveness, insecurity, fear of man, and a works-based, legalistic way of thinking and living.
     It is time to stop living blind and bound! It is time to reach your arms to heaven and shout the words in Galatians 5:1, "It is for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore stand firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery." 
    So, dump out your life before God, let Him sift through the mess and help you find the key. After all, you have places to go!
   
   
   

In the Silence

       Today, in my New Testament class, our professor was lecturing on the "Second Temple Times". These are the 400 years in between the Old Testament, that ends with the prophet Malachi and the beginning of the New Testament, where John the Baptist enters in the gospel of Matthew. Although these years were also known as the "silent years" and there may not have been any inspired Scripture written, God was anything but silent.  As our class listened intently, my professor wove stories with intelligence and nuance of battles, kings, cruel leadership, corrupt priests, and destruction. Once the facts were laid out before us, he presented the purpose in looking at this time period. What may have seemed like just a bunch of historical facts and dates were really God's brushstrokes of Providence and Sovereignty. Every cultural, political and historical detail in those silent years, was part of God's most amazing plan for grace that the world has ever known! 
     After leaving class, I was pondering all I'd heard. I began to feel that the Holy Spirit was pressing more into my mind. I started thinking about the apparent "silence" of God in those years. Surely, God's people wondered why He wasn't speaking. Had He forgotten them? Did He not realize that they were suffering under cruel leadership? It must have seemed like He had turned His face from them...while all the time, He was working all things on their behalf.

             In the silence, He was working. 

He was bringing them more than the political, military rescue they wanted. He was bringing them a soul rescue. The same silence came between the horrible cruelty of the Crucifixion on Friday and the miraculous Resurrection on Sunday. The disciples thought all was lost in that silence. They believed that all that they had hoped for in Jesus was gone.

            In the silence, God was working. 

    Do you feel like God has forgotten you? Do you wonder why He is not answering? Do you think that He does not see your suffering? Oh my precious, let these words be an encouragement to you. The bridge between seeing and believing is trust. None of us can see beyond where we are right now, but if you trust in Him, you can believe that He has your future.

             In the silence, He is working. 
                                    

                                    

Blue Skies

      "I lift up my eyes to the hills-where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth." ~Psalm 121:1-2

                                                               
     I drove down the two lane, lonely road this morning. My mood matched the sky above...cloudy and gray. My heart was heavy from the recent conversations with friends who are in a difficult season right now. The precious faces of the ones I love and had been praying for were filling my thoughts and blurring my mind with sorrow. Several times this week,  my gracious God had brought Psalm 121:1-2 to my attention. Perhaps it was with that in mind that I instinctively looked up at the sky. It was in that moment that God painted a beautiful picture for me. The clouds parted and in a moment, a small patch of blue sky appeared amongst the gray. I felt His Spirit whisper, "I am your blue sky." My heart melted and I smiled saying back to Him, "Yes, God, You ARE my blue sky!" At that moment, my ipod began to play over the radio, Tenth Avenue North's song, "Strong Enough to Save". I heard the words clearly as I watched the clouds part..."And he'll break open the skies to save those who cry out His Name. The One the wind and the waves obey, He's strong enough to save you..." 

In the Midst of a Storm

     Have you ever found yourself in the midst of a storm? The sun is shining, the birds are singing and suddenly the bottom drops out? What was seconds ago a calm and serene sky, is now dark and ugly.

Life can be like that. One moment you are sailing through life, your future looks bright, you don't have a care in the world. The next moment, a fierce storm is upon you. You are being tossed about on the waves, you cannot see how you are going to survive this, and you feel like Jesus has completely forgotten about you...

      I know what it is like to have life deal you a sudden and frightening blow. One that knocks the wind right out of you, and you never even see it coming. 

     My husband and I had an idyllic life with our two daughters. Little did we know that we were getting ready to face the "stormiest" period of our lives. One sunny September day, we took our four month old daughter for a well-baby check up. Before that day was over, our precious baby girl was in the hospital, diagnosed with leukemia. Over the next four and a half months, there were many days and nights in which we thought we were going to "drown". I can remember asking my husband if he thought God had forgotten about us. We felt caught up in something we had no control over and we sometimes wondered if Jesus even cared. 

    Perhaps you are in the midst of your own storm right now. Maybe you are facing the loss of someone you love dearly, a marriage that is crumbling, a financial crisis, a beloved son or daughter who is walking down a dangerous path, or maybe you are being tossed about by your own internal or emotional waves, drowning you in fear and anxiety.  Whatever your storm may be, Mark 4:35-41, offers you hope from the One who "even the wind and the waves obey". 

     35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, "Let us go over to the other side."36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him.37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped.38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?"39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!"Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

40 He said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?"41 They were terrified and asked each other, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!"

     In verse 35, Jesus calls the disciples to go "to the other side". He is asking them to move from Galilee(which was predominantly Jewish) to the western side of the Sea of Galilee and the region of Gerasenes(which was unfamiliar territory to them and predominantly Gentile). I have found that often when God is about to move me into new spiritual territory, there are storms on the way to that new place. And isn't it just like the enemy to try to keep us from reaching our destination with Jesus? 

                                         Be assured, where He calls us, He is with us. 

    The squall that arose was so often like those storms that hit us...sudden, fierce and terrifying. Even though they were seasoned sailors, the disciples knew they could not save themselves. No matter how much experience, money or knowledge we may have, there are storms in this life that come upon us from which we are helpless to rescue ourselves.  At this point in the passage, the disciples' full attention is on the storm and their fear rages like the sea. They suddenly remember that Jesus is in their boat. They turn to Him and He is SLEEPING! How could He? Wasn't He worried that they would all drown? How opposite Jesus' response to the storm than His disciples! He was in the same boat, in the same storm, and yet He slept. 

    The difference lay in the fact that He trusted the Father so completely, that He had no fear. 

                                                    Faith is the remedy for fear.

    His command to the waves was "Quiet! Be still!" His words are reminiscent of Psalm 46:10, "Be still and know that I am God." 

    When we are facing a raging storm, there is a transcendent peace that comes from being quiet 

                                                and still, so that we can know Him.     

    It is in that still, quiet time with Him, that our spirits will be calmed. Just like the disciples, we are often too focused on our fear and we lose sight of our faith. This passage ends with the disciples expressing their awe and amazement toward Jesus and what He had just done in their lives. He had saved them from a terrifying storm. Their fear of the storm was replaced by a fear(awe) of the Lord. 

When we have our eyes on Him, trust in His power, and rest in His Presence, we will not perish. Instead, when we get to the other side of the shore, our awe of Him will be increased and our faith will be stronger than it ever was.                                                         

   

Do You Have On The Right Glasses?

    She had known religion. She had gone to church, read her Bible some, and prayed. That was several years ago. Over the past few years, she had strayed away from Christianity, as she knew it. She took a philosophy course and the first seeds of doubt were planted. How could anyone say that Christianity was the only possibility? What about all the other religions out there? And what about the fact that a lot of the people she knew who didn't go to church, seemed more "religious" than the ones who did? She had read books and had conversations that had firmly planted the doubts in her heart. 
    She sat there in front of me, with her bag of doubt, confusion and uncertainty. The recent storms of life had left her broken and hurting, seeking honest answers and not sure where to find them. As I listened to her skepticism and rejection of the Scripture I had given her in our previous conversation, I prayed silently as she spoke. Suddenly, the Holy Spirit made it very clear that she was not talking about the same thing that I was. 
    Like many of us, who may have rejected Christianity or may even have been "doing church" for years, all she knew of Christianity was RELIGION. 
       Religion is focused on outward appearances. It is about earning your way to God, through works(how "good" we can be by going to church, doing Bible studies,etc.). It is rules oriented. It is shallow and surface. It is how the Pharisees(teachers of the Law and religious leaders of Jesus' day) were living. It is the very thing that Jesus spoke against. He did not come to make us more religious, He came to bring us back into RELATIONSHIP with Him. 
      Relationship is developed internally, from the heart. It is based on a deep and intimate knowing of our Savior. It is not based on what we do, but on grace that comes by faith. Like any earthly relationship, it is deepened over time. The more time we spend with Him, the more we know Him. It is the very thing that our hearts were made for. We may try to find it in other places, in other things and even in other relationships. But anything other than a meaningful relationship with Him, is going to eventually leave us disappointed, confused and empty.
This relationship begins and is grown through three things: 
1)a surrendered heart  2)honest prayer and 3)an uncluttered mind. 
Christianity is the only RELIGION that offers this kind of RELATIONSHIP. All others are based on living a perfect life, works, and doing good in order to attain any hope of a relationship with the Creator. That is why Jesus said, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father, except through Me".  All of Scripture is a story of how important having relationship with us is to God. From the beginning to the end, God is continually pursuing and rescuing His people. Over and over, He tries to get them(and us) to understand His love for us. Over and over, we don't get it. We cling to a false gospel, we hold tightly to rocks when He is waiting to give us diamonds. Finally, He came to earth to restore that relationship with us through His Son, Jesus. 
    But love isn't love if you force it on someone. It is not love if you "make" someone love you. God loved us enough, that He gave us free will. We all have been given the choice. He's not asking you to choose religion, He is asking you to choose relationship. When we choose to let go of the doubts and false hopes that are clouding our minds and hearts, and we choose to surrender our hearts to Him, our lives will never be the same. We have entered into the very relationship we were created for. We have been found. The emptiness is filled.
    So if you have been looking at church, Scripture and even life through the lens of religion, it is time to put on some new glasses. See Christianity for what it was meant to be. With this new perspective, understand that He does not want your religion, He wants your heart. Will you give it to Him?